The Dark Prince, the Phantom and the Phoenix
by Residentsadist
Summary: Join Will, Elena, Ember and Vern as they journey through the Hoenn Region. They meet challenges and obstacles along the way, but all of them have one similar goal- To be the best, Coordinator or Trainer alike. They're here to take the Hoenn Region by storm. And they won't art! Powerful! OC's, with pairings if you look.


Telepathy: Italic for humans

'Italic' for Pokemon

Thoughts: 'Thoughts'

Speech: "Speech," he said.

NO GRAMMAR ERRORS. I AM THROUGH WITH YOUR ANNOYING SPEECH MARKS

Chapter 1: Dawning (2 years before actual time.)

A boy sat, under the shade of a cypress tree, looking over the horizon. He had black hair, pale skin, and an impressive physique for one so young. In his hand he held a staff of swirling blue and black energy, and a pendant with a crystal and a locket were on his neck He looked to be only at the tender age of 12. He was watching the sunset, as a cold breeze swept over him. His facial expression was not one of kindness. It was, in fact, one of darkness and turmoil. His name was Will. The forgotten son of the Champion of Kanto. The 'mistake' that the world knew nothing about. The child, left fatherless to be raised by his mother alone, as she taught him the ways of life. He never forgave. The hatred festered inside of him, consuming him, driving him to achieve victory over the monsters of his past. He knew that his father was still too powerful to be challenged. But he also knew that from a young age, his 'talents' far exceeded those of his father. And so he trained. He learnt how to blend in with the wilderness, learned to hide himself in the shadow; never to be noticed by his peers. He hid his abilities, so that none could see his true desires. And so they remained, hidden under a clear mind, and an emotionless mask of iron and steel. He learnt of the power of the Darke. His heritage was open to him, and he made full use of it. For the power of the Darke was eternal. He knew this. And, he utilised it. Until he became a master,a wolf among sheep. He was destined to be great. During his training, his prodigious talent was recognised by Prof. Birch, who encouraged it by letting him catch Pokemon earlier than the time that was when the journey was to officially begin. The boy made friends with two unique Pokemon, who joined him in his quest. This boy's name was Will. And he had purpose. One purpose. To conquer the world, leaving all, even his father shaking in the wake of his ,he was not friendless. He recognised the importance of support, and he made friends with two individuals. Two girls named Ember and Elena. Elena had been his friend for a very long time. In fact, ever since birth the two had been friends. She came from a family with a dark past, like his. And they both knew what loss felt like. Ember however, was a different matter. She was nothing like him, stubborn, bright, funny, and yet, she somehow found her way into his circle of close friends. And she became his left hand, where Elena was his right. And yet, they remained. His name was Will. He never forgave. And he never forgot.

LINEBREAK-(You get the idea)

Meanwhile, in a large house Fortree city, a boy sat, alone in a room open to the howling winds and rain, polishing an arrow. His face was emotionless as he surveyed the weapon on his lap. It was a large, willow bow, with a quiver of arrows by his side. His room's window was open, and the rain and chill didn't hesitate to get in. He shivered, and then pulled his coat closer over himself.

"Val." he said to the world outside, his voice barely a murmur. "We found you two years ago."

The howling wind seemed to cease almost as if his voice calmed it.

"You were starving, on the streets, alone." he continued, standing and slipping on his cloak and quiver. "We found you and accepted you then. To us, you were nothing but another orphan then."

The wind was now only a breeze, and the noise died down as he picked up his bow, which glinted under the moonlight.

"You proved us wrong. You were something else." said the boy. "I found you once."

The rain itself seemed to stop as he continued, dying down as the sound of his voice washed over the room.

"I'll find you again."

He sat there, and silent tears trickled down his face. He wept for himself, for others. He wanted nothing more than to find her. The one who was there where no one else was. His sister.

The next morning, he was no longer in Fortree.

Two years later.

Under the shade of that same cypress tree in the forest, the boy sat meditating. Will was focussing his Darke abilities, drawing power from the cypress tree, the symbol of the Darke in times long lost. Lost to all but one. His eyes glowed black. A hedge beside him was destroyed completely. And then, the area glowed blue and purple. The hedge literally fixed itself. As in, the leaves came back in an orderly fashion, the roots of the plants went back underground, and it became whole once more.

Latios, Latias, we must leave at once. Mother would like me home as soon as convenient, as she wants to say a final goodbye before we leave on our journey. Now, I know as well as you that we have had this conversation many times before, but I wish to ascertain your final decision now.

A voice spoke, and then another joined it, from inside the crystal on his pendant. The crystal glowed blue, and black.

'Will, we were never going to abandon you. Remember the pact we made. We are partners-of-mind with you now. Where you go, we will follow. Even if it be the ends of this Earth, or the endless oblivion beyond.'

I cannot fathom to express the gratitude I am feeling as of now. I'm honoured. Latios, Latias, let us go. It is time to take the world by storm.

And so, they wandered. Out of the forest, out of their home of 13 years to start their journey.

LINEBREAK AGAIN.

A boy sat on a branch near the entrance of Fortree City, swinging his legs. A willow bow was on his back, as well as a quiver. His clothes were ragged and dirty, and his own body not much cleaner. That was what it took to take on mother nature.

"It's been a while." said the boy, looking at the town that was his home. "It's changed so much in my absence."

He slipped on his cloak, hiding his weapons under it, and dropped off the tree, landing feet-first on the ground.

"I'm coming back home, Fortree."

He turned heads as he made his way back inside. It was only natural after all - he looked like a hardened bandit, and was about as clean as one. His blue and green hair was very eye-catching as well, especially amidst a crowd.

The boy normally would have tried to be discreet, but this time there was no need. He was returning home, and there was really no point in hiding it.

He made his way through the crowds of people milling around the pokemon centre and towards the house he had left two years ago, entering without knocking.

"I'm home." he said, his voice ringing through the room. "I'll be staying for about a week."

There was no reply from the empty room except the usual chirping of birds and squeaking of pokemon.

He made himself comfortable, taking a shower and washing his clothes, and took a nap on the floor. He didn't snore, and hence was not noticed by his father as he returned home.

"Woah! What in the name of-"

When the commotion died down, both were on the floor, gasping for breath, and groceries scattered all around the room.

"Dad, this is the fifty seventh time you're stepped on me while I was asleep." remarked the boy, dryly.

"Well, nice to see you too, Vern." said his father, propping himself up with his arms. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Their conversation was dry and devoid of emotion, like two acquaintances meeting on the road in unfavourable circumstances.

"I've come back to talk to mother."

"She is away, but will be back this afternoon."

"I can wait."

Their relationship had always been like this. Vern had never loved his father the way he loved his mother, and his father had never really accepted him for what he was. When they found Val on the street, it didn't help their relationship any. All the letters Vern had sent home in his absence was addressed to his mother, and his mother only. His father was a complication.

Some day, his view might change. But today was not the day.

They waited in silence, watching the tv play it's normal rambling news, for his mother to return. And return she did, after half an hour or so, arriving home with grease stains all over her suit.

"Mother."

"Vern! You're home!" she said, springing into the room, full of energy. "How've you been?"

"I'm doing great, mom." he said, fiddling with his already lengthening hair. "I've come home to run some errands… and to ask a favour of you."

"A favour?" she said, kneeling down besides him. "What is it?"

"Can you… give me a pokemon?"

Silence. His mother looked him over, as if trying to figure out what his intentions were. His father did no such thing, simply turning away.

"We don't have any left to give." said he flatly. "They've all flown away after it happened."

"What?" Vern jumped up, hand inside his belt behind his back, where a knife could very possibly have been stowed. "What happened?"

"You were away, out exploring the world, when it was revealed that Team Magma and Aqua have resurfaced." said his father flatly. "You know who they are, I presume?"

"The two crazy organisations bent on taking over the world and making sea land and land sea? Yeah, I have."

"We let them go when that happened." sighed his father. "We didn't want them to get hurt when they come here."

"Actually, I've still got one." said his mother, hopping to her feet. "I found him when I was away fixing my plane."

"What?!" for the first time, both Vern and his father spoke in unison. "What did you find?"

"It's a little Rufflet." said his mother, taking of her backpack, revealing the cute face of the little eagle sticking out from the opening. "He was injured, so I took him to the pokemon centre before returning home. I had to take a detour. Sorry!"

Vern was staring intently at the Rufflet, who was staring back. It's face was distinctly that of an eagle, though it still had fluff and dandruff all over it. Vern reached over and gave him a pat on the head.  
"I'm not entirely sure that's a good idea." said his father. "That thing probably hasn't seen human contact for years before your mother brought him. He might be hostile."

"Don't worry, dad." said Vern, stroking the baby eagle's haphazard hair that looked uncannily like his own. "He's a nice one."

And the Rufflet was, indeed, as it seemed,a nice one. It seemed completely used to human contact and even seemed to like it, making a sound that felt like purring.

"Looks like you've found your pokemon." said his mother, smiling.

Latios, can you fly me to the Route beside Petalburg? I wish to dismount there. Although we could fly through the region, I doubt Elena and Ember would be happy with me leaving them in the metaphorical 'dust'. Latias? Can you follow?

'Of course, Will.'

And they arrived at their destination, and lo and behold! Elena and Ember were glaring furiously at one another, both competing to catch the Surskit that was swimming in the pond there.

"Hey girls. Instead of glaring at each other, wouldn't it be more prudent to actually think about catching the pokemon?" he told them, hiding a grin.

They both looked up and started glaring at him instead of each didn't look it - he knew very well how to mask his emotions- but inside, he was very scared. Like, seriously scared. Because whenever Elena got angry with him, he felt really bad inside. There was no denying that he a miniscule crush on her. But, no. He was in denial.

"Alright, calm down," he said, outwardly as calm as he always was."Metang! Go!"

The armored, evil, and awesome-looking computer encased in a sturdy and hard case of metal alloy emerged from the crystal that was embedded in his staff with an unearthly screech.

Destroy the cover.

'Yes, Master Will.'

The armored titan's eyes began to glow a strange purple as the dense shrubbery around it began to show signs of being torn and ripped apart by a strange psychic force, shuddering and shaking, some even being uprooted.

Surskit was unveiled.

Psychic.

'Proceeding.'

The surskit fainted.

"Aura Crystal code Alpha. Catching mode activate."

Light flooded around the Pokemon, binding it and sealing it. Will smirked as it was sealed into the crystal, where it remained silent. It would obey it's master now. Forever.

Elena nodded approvingly as Ember scowled and looked at the ground. Will didn't even have to say anything to know it was home issues.

"Mom wants me to move with her to Littleroot. According to her, Father wants us out of Slateport because it's 'unsafe.' The only upside to this is that I get my starter from Professor Birch." She said, emphasizing on the words Father. Will nodded.  
"Very well. I have to go to Littleroot too. Mother wants me home. We may go together." He said. Elena looked at him. "I'm not coming. I'll meet you later, but I'm not going to your silly town." She said flatly. It was decided. The trio said their farewells to one another and split paths, agreeing to meet at Petalburg city, three days following.

The walk wasn't far. It was silent as Ember angrily stomped on the road. From what Will knew, her Dad was a very well known pokemon master but he never had time for his family. He was quite sure this was exaggeration though, considering it was Ember talking about somebody she despised.  
They finally arrived at the houses and agreed to meet at the lab later. It was settled. Ember walked her way and Will walked his, knowing something odd was about to happen. It was in the air, like blood hanging suspended in water.

Ember quietly stepped into the house, movers still busy unpacking. She spotted her mother in the kitchen. "Mom. Hi, You wanted me?" She said.

The woman turned around and smiled slightly. "Yes. The postcard is upstairs and remember to grab the bag before you leave." She said.

Ember nodded, attitude switching, and ran as fast as she could to grab the postcard directed in neat writing to her. The girl sped out of the house and towards the laboratory. The doors burst open.

There Will quietly chatting to the Professor. Will nodded and the Professor grinned.  
"You must be Ember! Welcome! I'll get the Pokemon."

The man rushed out and came in a minute later. He was grasping four Pokeballs. The man smiled and let the creatures out.  
There was a water type, a fire type and a grass type. The words were on her tongue.  
"Mudkip. Torchic and Treeko." The girl crouched remembering all she had learned. The pokemon all seemed so good, so perfect. She couldn't decide.  
"Sir, which is the fourth pokemon?" The man frowned.  
"You won't like this pokemon. It's unbalanced, uneven. Odd." He started. Ember nodded.

"May I see it?" She asked. The man nodded and let it out. Ember recognised it at once.  
"Eevee," She said. She looked into the depths of the Pokemon's eyes and the world turned blue. She felt a surge of emotions; her first Pokemon. Finally.

"As I was saying, this Eevee has unbalanced genetics and that causes it to be able to change into all of it's evolutions." The professor said, blissfully unaware of what had just happened.

Ember looked at it and knew. It was the one. "Professor?" She asked. "I love all of these Pokemon, and I was wondering if I could take them all?" She said.  
The man looked delighted. "Why of course! I need to catch a new batch of starters anyway," He said. Ember quickly thanked him and received her new pokemon. She called out Eevee first and patted the pokemon.  
"Hi Eevee! I'm your new trainer, Ember. I know it's been hard in the past but together, I think we'll be great!"

The pokemon looked at Ember cautiously and decided, Ember was a friend. The pokemon began to follow Ember, as she walked to pick up her new badge case. She knew already that she was going to be a pokemon coordinator and she had already brainstormed some moves for her first contest, and planned to use Eevee first.

Will and Ember left Littleroot town as quick as they had come, with rushed goodbyes to their families. They quickly stopped at the Oldale town pokemon center to make a call to Elena. As Ember typed in the number, Ember asked Nurse Joy to heal up her pokemon. Will declined. His Aura Crystal had already done that. Handy, wasn't it? Finally Elena picked up the phone call.

"Hello?" Elena said.

Ember and Will explained everything that happened. The strange Eevee Ember had chosen. Elena listened, icy blue eyes intense and nodded.

"So you are early? Well, meet me at Petalburg."

LINEBREAK

Vern bounced along the road from Fortree to the nearest town, his face split into a broad grin as he slipped off his cloak and tucked it into his rucksack.

"Let's go!" He said smiling at his new pokemon. It tilted it's head at him and Vern got the idea.

"You must be hungry...Here, have this." He said, chuckling. He threw it something he fished out of his bag, without knowing what it was. His Rufflet ate it before he could find out, then looked at him again.

"Don't tell me you want more!" He sighed. The bird kept looking at him. "Nope, I've got to ration it. I'm broke, and we've got to survive on this, ya know?"

Rufflet looked away, and continued to trod after him, looking downcast. Vern ignored his begging and continued, thinking that he would have to grow used to it.

When he sat down for lunch, his Rufflet was asleep in his rucksack, and snoring, loudly.

"Time for a sandwich." he said, sighing deeply and reaching into his bag. Feeling nothing, he tried again, only to find plastic bags emptied of their contents.

"Don't tell me he…"

Before he could finish his sentence, the Rufflet let out a loud, criminalizing burp.

"You little ruffian." said Vern, giving the Rufflet a shake. It continued to sleep. Sighing, he took out his pokenav and began to desperately tap buttons, trying to distract himself from his hunger.

Suddenly, his keen hearing picked out the sound of two things speeding across the sky, like two jet planes. Looking up, his hand slipped into his pocket again.

"Latias and Latios…" He murmured. He remembered something Val had said. A story. Two pokemon in the sky. He needed to talk to them. Somehow he decided that the legends knew where she was.

Vern hurried down the road, leaving his Rufflet behind to snooze, ignoring the people around him.

"Where do you think you're going?!" yelled a girl, hastily jumping out of his way. He ran under the pokemon for a while, before stopping to survey his surroundings. It wasn't familiar.

He didn't know how long he had been running, but he knew he was lost, and he knew he was hungry.

The boy fished the pokenav from his pocket and took a look at his photo. The pokemon were flying. Vern was surprised, and mildly curious. It was the first time he saw a legendary, and a captured one no less. As a child, legendary pokemon had been almost like gods to him then, and, having left pokemon behind for a long time during his travels, the image stayed with him.

Sighing, he pocketed his pokenav and turned back the way he went, and, after running for a while, eventually found his way back into the clearing, waking up Rufflet and heading off.

They walked to the pokemon center in Petalburg city a few hours later, tired and worn after a long string of battles with wild pokemon and trainers on the way. Vern kept his eyes open. Any figure may hold the pokemon he was looking for. As Joy healed his pokemon, Vern scanned the room, his eyes resting on each person in turn.

He had accurate eyesight, sharp like a hawk's and great hearing. He never missed anything. Ever. Yet, anyways. There was a guy eating a burrito, A man and his wife with an injured Voltorb, A bunch of young trainers with their new pokemon who had lost to Norman - the gym leader, and then his eyes rested on a young boy about his age.

The boy had cold black eyes and pale skin and had walked in a few minutes ago, a glowing gem on a chain around his neck with him was a girl, carrying a...Was that an Eevee or an Espeon? Vern swore he could have seen it change form in a matter of seconds.

He tuned out the hustle and bustle of the pokemon centre and focused on what they were saying. The girl spoke first. "Where is Elena? I can't wait to show her Eevee and just wait until I turn it to Glaceon!" She whispered. The boy smiled a small smile, barely noticeable. "Yes. That will be interesting. I assume that she is at the PC. She wanted to get her Milotic out."  
The two hurried up the stairs. So, it was true that the Eevee could change, which was fascinating genetic mutation, which might have been human-engineered. Vern decided that his curiosity would like to be satisfied, and slipped on his cloak, disappearing into the crowd. He noticed the girl he had bumped into before holding a pokeball and felt somewhat guilty, then brushed the feeling off, concentrating on the task at hand. His mind was clean, completely focused on getting this information, getting rid of all distraction.

The two walked up to her. "Elena, this is my starter pokemon. Meet Eevee…" The girl who must have been Elena nodded and smiled at the other girl. So they knew each other. Not good.  
The boy stood up. "I think we are being watched. Did you meet anybody who seems...Well, suspicious?" The boy asked quietly. The girl named Elena shook her head.

"Not that I know of…Though there was a stupid kid who seemed to be rushing and bumped into me. I haven't seen anybody else weird. Other than the guy eating the burrito, and, of course, you. Don't jump to conclusions, Will" She said obviously annoyed. So the boy's name was Will. Not exactly the most interesting name he had came across.

The other girl frowned. "Why would anyone be following us anyway..?" Will looked at her.

"Many reasons. They could possibly be after our pokemon. Thieves like Team Rocket."

Vern made a small twitch of his fingers, as if snapping them, but without the sound. So this small excursion did get results, after all. Interesting. The name Team Rocket seemed to register something in Vern's head, something he definitely did not like. These people certainly seemed mysterious, and could very well have connections with this… Team Rocket, whoever they were.

Vern decided that he would follow them, and learn as much as he could about their hopes and dreams, goals and powers, stuff like that. Then, maybe would he reveal himself.

His Rufflet starting snoring again, and he quickly retreated back into the safety of the crowd before they could take notice.

LINEBREAK

Will noticed a cloaked figure in the crowds, and reached out with his psychic abilities to probe his mind. He didn't find much, except hunger, and a sense of intense curiosity. Deciding to leave him be for now, he returned to his seat.

"So?" asked Elena, flicking her fingers.

"He's not of malicious intent." said Will, somewhat relieved inside, although he didn't show it. "Probably just another curious trainer."

His tone made it sound like it was usual for people to follow them, which it was not.

"Will, do you want to get dinner?" asked Elena, who seemed well aware of the fact that it was already approaching midnight and they had yet to have their meal.

Ember nodded. "My mom already packed food for the pokemon. It's homemade..Huh? Where is it?" She fished an empty can from her bag. "Oh, great. Well now we have to get food from the center." She said looking around.  
Will, Ember and Elena ate their dinner and went to bed. The morning would be full of training, especially for Ember.

Will and Elena were already battling at four in the morning, Ember was up at six. She brought out her pokemon and began their training right away. From what Will knew, there was a contest and she was eager to win.

"Okay guys, we have a long way to go. For this first contest, which is a double contest, I intend on using Torchic and Eevee but Treeko and Mudkip will be used for the next. I have a plan for this already." She explained.  
"Torchic, use Ember into the sky! Then Eevee, turn into Espeon and hold the embers up with psychic. Then use shadow-ball at the embers. Now pose for the finish!" She instructed. The pokemon did as told and when the final move came, a flaming explosion with hints of darkness came flying out and filled their area with sparkles.

"Nice work, though it will take a lot more to beat me. Oh, and by the way I reserved this spot." Said a voice. Ember turned around frowning. There was a boy holding a rose, acting snooty.  
"Nobody said anything about reserving training area and who are you anyway?." She warned. The green haired boy standing in front of her laughed.  
"Well, then it pays to be an actually good coordinator! And my name is Drew." He shot back. Ember looked at her pokemon who looked very angry at this moment.

"If you want this spot, I challenge you to a Contest-style battle. I'm Ember." She said. The boy nodded. "Fine then Ember."

Will and Elena stared as the two coordinators began to battle. They stood ready with their pokemon for a battle.  
"Come on out, Treecko!" She yelled. Drew grinned and called out a Roselia. The battle was on. Will stepped in to judge, with Elena.  
"This is a one on one battle to determine who gets the spot to train. Whoevers pokemon faints first loses. Let the battle begin!" Will said, in a cool, eloquent tone as usual.  
"Treecko, bullet seed!" Ember yelled.

"Dodge and use petal dance!" Drew yelled back.  
"Dodge it with quick attack and use pound!" Ember commanded. It worked.

Roselia was knocked back onto the other side. The pokemon got up.  
"Roselia, stun spore!" Drew said

"Use pound in the air, to send it back at Roselia!" Ember devised. Roselia dodged the blast just in time.  
"Finish this off, Treecko! Now use bullet seed while in quick attack around Roselia!" There was a blur of Treeko and seeds being pelted at high speed towards Roselia. The pokemon fainted.  
"I declare this battle over," Will said. Drew returned his pokemon.

"This isn't over. Wait until the contest and you'll see." He said tossing his rose and walking away. Ember smirked.  
"I guess somebody has a bit of overconfidence if you know what I mean." She said. Will and Elena simply told her it was a good battle but she knew they were impressed with her pokemon combination. Only slightly.

Vern watched from a distance as the girl, Ember, battled the other guy which he didn't recognize. She wasn't all that bad, to be honest. Especially for a first battle.

"Interesting…" he muttered, his Rufflet sitting on his shoulder. "Not bad, not bad. That's a league above all the other idiots I've met on the way…"

His Rufflet chirped, loudly, and Vern hastily clamped a hand over it's mouth.

"Have you no sense of stealth?" he muttered, patting the Rufflet on his head. "We're gonna get discovered at this rate…"

Chirp.

"Oh, will you just shut up…"

Elena, that nosy trainer from before is being his usual observant self. What an obnoxious idiot. I wonder... That stupid bird of his really is bad at sneaking. Anyways...

Yes, I know. We should be watchful from now. We don't know whether he is friend or foe.

"So… when were you going to reveal yourself, my mysterious acquaintance? I know you're there," Will said.

"Rufflet, I swear one day I'm gonna kill you." muttered Vern, sighing, and then jumped off the tree in which he was hiding. "Hello."

"Whatever is your business with us? You don't seem to be the idiot type, so what do you want with us?"

"Curiosity." said Vern, grinning. "I'm tracking two Legends heading in your direction. The Eon Duo in specific. You seem to know something about them."

As he was speaking, his hand reflexively dropped into his belt, ready to call out his other Pokemon.

"Curiosity killed the meowth. You have no idea what you're talking about. In fact, you have just suddenly lost your memory of the Eon Duo. You have no idea who they are and who was on them."

His eyes glowed purple.

"Erasing my memory?" said Vern, with a grin. "Go on ahead. I understand you want it kept a secret. I know plenty of people who would die for one of those. And I am not a meow-"

Will snapped his fingers, and the memory of what he saw on that day no longer was in his mind.

Vern still stood there, a mischievous grin on his face which he quickly hid, burying it beneath his usual calm mask.

Will frowned. It had been very draining for him to erase someone's memory.  
Ember, the coordinator came up behind Will with her Eevee, frowning.  
"Who's this? Another stupid coordinator who wants to battle?" She said. Vern raised his eyebrows.

Will shook his head. "This 'friend' has been following us all the way from the route on Petalburg."

Ember picked up Eevee as it transformed into Glaceon. She narrowed her eyes at him.  
Vern decided to make a run for it. After all, he did not like the looks the trio were giving him.  
"Okay, gotta go! See you around!" He said, turning around and making a sprint for the forest. Will's eyes glew purple, and Vern found his cloak pinned to the ground by some invisible force.

'I can't have anyone with information about the Duo go running away with it. He may be part of Team Rocket,' Will thought

"Well, I'm not. I have no interest in obtaining those pokemon." said Vern, almost reading his mind completely, his face splitting into a grin before falling into his normal calm mask. "Sorry about this, but I'd rather not stay here longer."

With that, his hand reached into his belt and with a flick of his wrist, a knife flew out from his pocket. Will stepped aside, but his concentration lapsed, leaving Vern free to go. He did not believe that it was worth the risk to engage the possibly hostile figure in combat. And Vern quickly left the scene, vanishing into the forest. Although he was aiming to miss, he still felt a tad bit bad about that.

"Come back here, or I'll have to make you. And trust me, you won't like the result." Will yelled after him, with a frown plastered on his face .  
Elena put her hand on his shoulder causing him to blush slightly.

"Will, not now. I don't think he's a threat. We can catch him later, but not now." She said. Ember frowned.  
"Yes, also Will, we have a contest to go to. Now."

Will and Elena sat down in the crowded stands, screaming people all around

"Pathetic," they both said in unison.

"Although we should probably cheer for Ember, I'd rather not stay in this hall. How about we both go out and take a breath of fresh air?" Elena suggested

And so they went out of the hall to get a little air. As they did, a boy with a red cap, and his three companions made their way into the hall. The girl, May, was also competing. Will knew this because he remembered the registry sign up. All it took was a simple name-to-face profile match. And he wondered who the rest were… Anyways, he didn't care. He was too busy trying to figure out the solution to the problems he was going to face when that idiot from before could possibly have told the world about his Legends. He could simply vanish, and not tell anyone his location. But no. He would not do that to his childhood friends, people he had known for so long. Pah. Vanishing acts were overused after all. Although he was concerned.

The Contest had finished it's qualifier rounds, with Ember easily passing, although there was still room for improvement. Her move had been very simplistic, yet still had the makings of being a very well co-ordinated appeal. Combining the shards of ice and flames of both Glaceon and Torchic had worked wonders, creating a shimmering curtain of gleaming residue. But the challenge had only just begun. Now, she had to pass the second round, and make it to the Quarterfinals.

And she was against Drew. She watched as a girl named May, walked out sadly and felt pity. Her display had been okay. Drew was the arrogant trainer from before. The one with the Roselia.

But what she didn't know was his other Pokemon. She came out from the locker rooms, on the red corner of the stadium. And he came out, on the other side, pokeball in hand. She noticed a boy pushing through the crowd. It was that green and blue haired guy who had followed them. She knew she had other things to do, but she made a mental note to tell Will about it after she finished.

"And NOW… The first Quarterfinal shall begin. It's between Drew Shu and Ember ? What do you think?"

"Well, are you ready to get your beat down? I'll show you what a real Coordinator can do," was his ever arrogant reply. Needless to say, Ember was angered by this taunt. If there's one thing she didn't appreciate, it was an insult to her skills.

"We'll see about that." she said, as he frowned trying hard to hide his annoyance. "I've beaten you before, badly."

He seemed annoyed by her pointing that out.

"Well, that was one on one." He scoffed. Ember fought the urge to punch him in the face. The battle was on. Ember stepped onto the stage, ready with her pokemon.

"Let the battle begin!" Vivian yelled. Everyone was on the edge of their seats. This was going to be intense.

"Come on out, Roselia!" Drew yelled.

"Eevee, take the stage!" Ember yelled back.  
The pokemon stood facing one another.  
"Okay, let's start this off. Eevee, use dig, and quick attack!" She yelled.  
"Roselia, dodge and use Petal dance!"  
Ember was one step ahead. "Eevee, glaceon form!" She said.

Eevee morphed quickly from Eevee to Glaceon. The crowd gasped. Drews points dropped like a stone.  
"Glaceon! Now use icy wind on Roselia!" She said.

Drew winced as his Roselia was hit with a blast of wind that came out of glaceon's mouth. The pokemon fell, stunned.  
Drew tried to make a comeback. "Roselia, magical leaf!" He yelled.

"Glaceon, finish this off with ice beam!" She said. Roselia was blasted with ice that encased it's body. It fell to the ground, unable to make a comeback.  
"Roselia is unable to battle, Glaceon wins!" Vivian yelled. Drew called Roselia into it's pokeball, surprisingly cooly and walked out of the Arena, fangirls screaming.

Ember quickly grabbed her ribbon and ran out to meet Elena and Will.  
"Hi. I just won. We can leave now." She said. Elena nodded, approvingly. "Good." Will said.

Ember looked around. "Is that guy still following us? I think I saw him at the contest in the crowd." Will frowned.

"He's probably looking for Elena and me. We should get out of here, as much as I'd hate to leave a fight." Will said. Elena smiled approvingly at Will causing him to smile back in return.

"Okay...But where next? I'm pretty sure Rustboro is pretty close and Dewford is across the sea. One of dad's friends owns a boat and I think he wouldn't mind taking us across?" Will paused for a second.

"Captain Briney?" He asked, knowingly. Ember grinned.  
"That's him!" She said. Elena shook her head,  
"I think we should go to Rustboro instead. We need to get our first badge anyways. This just works out better. After that, we'll go to Dewford and then Slateport. There's a Contest there for Ember too. And also, there have been rumors of the Champion being spotted in Dewford. We'll have a chance to test our skills against them. How does that sound?" Elena asked, but in a quiet tone. She was well aware of their eavesdropper.

They both nodded their head in affirmative.

LINEBREAK

Vern watched on as they talked about their plans. It wasn't a particularly interesting conversation - though it was necessary to pay attention if he were to follow. Normally, just following them would be enough, though they seemed to have a particular knack of vanishing without warning. Vern looked to the Rufflet, who was busy looking at a wurmple, which seemed to look tantalizing, at least to the bird. He sighed. Training was necessary as well, for Rufflet and his other Pokemon.

Vern carefully tucked up Rufflet in the bag and slid down the tree trunk as the group left. He put his scarf around his face and proceeded down the road.

 **So,**  
 **This is my first story that I WON'T abandon. It's a version of Pokemon ORAS Revamped with less factual errors, and more consideration on the grammar side. Give it a read. I'll put my character profiles on my profile(LOL). They're all OC's, but there will be a few encounters with Mr. Ketchum(I.e. Ash the numbskull).**


End file.
